We’re fascinated with the saga of “Flappy Bird” here at Consumerist, mostly because of the creator’s reaction to the success of his infuriatingly simple game. He yanked it from app marketplaces even though it was raking in ad money, then put it back after the fad had faded a bit. Wouldn’t you rather pump quarters into a dedicated Flappy Bird game cabinet? [More]

The claw crane, also known as a UFO catcher, is presumably a reliable moneymaker for owners of coin-operated machines. The rigs taunt players by making it seem as though they’re tantalizingly close to picking up a prize before letting it slip through their grasps. It takes considerable self control to keep from pouring money into the machine until victory is at hand. [More]